Mikhail Lesin Cause Of Death

© Andrew Harnik/AP

Russian president’s former aide died of blunt force trauma at D.C. hotel, medical examiner says - A former aide to Russian President Vladi­mir Putin who was found dead in a Dupont Circle hotel room in November died of blunt force trauma to the head, the D.C. Medical Examiner’s Office said on Thursday.

Mikhail Lesin, 59, also suffered injuries to his neck, body and upper and lower extremities, the medical examiner said in a statement. The manner of death is undetermined, according to the statement.

Dustin Sternbeck, the D.C. police department’s chief spokesman, said the case remains an active investigation. He would not say if the medical examiner’s ruling means a crime may have been committed. “We’re not willing to close off anything at this point,” he said.

Lesin’s body was found before noon in a room at the Dupont Circle Hotel in the 1500 block of New Hampshire Avenue NW. It is in the Doyle hotel chain.

Authorities on Thursday released no other information about the mysterious death of the prominent political figure who once served as a press minister and executive of Gazprom-Media, the state-run holding company that controls much of the Russian press.

Family members had told Russian media in November that they believed Lesin had suffered a heart attack, citing his long-term illnesses.